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DASAB Agenda 09/30/20223.A 09/30/2022 COLLIER COUNTY Advisory Boards Item Number: 3.A Item Summary: Animal Services Advisory Board - September 20, 2022 Meeting Date: 09/30/2022 Prepared by: Title: — Domestic Animal Services Name: Cindy Delgado 10/05/2022 3:36 PM Submitted by: Title: Department Head Public Services Department Name: Tanya Williams 10/05/2022 3:36 PM Approved By: Review: Domestic Animal Services Marcy Perry Division Director Public Services Department Todd Henry Additional Reviewer Communications, Government, and Public Affairs Michael Brownlee Advisory Boards Michael Cox Meeting Pending Completed 10/05/2022 3:38 PM Completed 10/06/2022 9:43 AM PAM Review Completed 09/30/2022 12:00 AM Packet Pg. 19 3.A.1 Collier County Government Communications, Government & Public Affairs 3299 Tamiami Trail E., Suite 102 Naples, Florida 34112-5746 September 13, 2022 zl� colliergov.net twitter.com/CollierPIO facebook.com/CollierGov voutube.com/CollierGov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Notice of Public Meeting Collier County Domestic Animal Services Collier County, Florida September 20, 2022 6:00 p.m. Notice is hereby given that the Collier County Animal Services Advisory Board will meet on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board of County Commissioners chambers, third floor, Collier County Government Center, 3299 Tamiami Trail E., Naples, Florida 34112. About the public meeting: Two or more members of the Board of County Commissioners may be present and may participate at the meeting. The subject matter of this meeting may be an item for discussion and action at a future Board of County Commissioners meeting. All interested parties are invited to attend, and to register to speak. All registered public speakers will be limited to three minutes unless changed by the chairman. Collier County Ordinance No. 2004-05 requires that all lobbyists shall, before engaging in any lobbying activities (including, but not limited to, addressing the Board of County Commissioners, an advisory board or quasi-judicial board), register with the Clerk to the Board at the Board Minutes and Records Department. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or other reasonable accommodations in order to participate in this proceeding, should contact the Collier County Facilities Management Division, located at 3335 Tamiami Trail E., Suite 101, Naples, Florida 34112, or (239) 252-8380, as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event. Such reasonable accommodations will be provided at no cost to the individual. For more information, call Cindy Delgado at (239) 252-6950. N N O N O N L E as a a� m L 0 m 0 N a Cn 76 E a N M N Packet Pg. 20 3.A.2 Collier County Board of County Commissioners Domestic Animal Services Advisory Committee Meeting September 20, 2022 6:00 pm N ICE: PERSON WISHIN TO SPEAK ON ANY AGENDA ITEM WILL RECEIVE UP TO THREE (3) MIN ES UN ESS THE CHAIRMAN ADJUSTS THE TIME. SPEAKERS ARE REQUIRED TO FILL OUT A "SPEAKERS REQUEST FORM," LIST THE TOPIC THEY WISH TO ADDRESS AND HAND IT TO THE STAFF MEMBER SEATED AT THE TABLE BEFORE THE MEETIN BEGINS. PLEASE WAIT TO BE RECOGN ZED BY THE CHAIRMAN AND APPROACH THE PODIUM PRIOR TO SPEAKING. STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION BEFORE COMMENTIN ALL COMMENTS MUST BE DIRECTED TO THE CHAIRMAN. PLEASE SILENCE CELL PHO®IES AND DIGITAL DEVICES. PLEASE LEAVE THE ROOM TO CON UCT PERSON BUSINESS. ALL PARTIES PARTICIPATIN IN THE PUBLIC MEETIN ARE TO OBSERVE THE ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER AND WAIT TO BE RECOGN ZED BY THE CHAIRMAN. IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY WHO NEEDS ANY ACCOMMODATION IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCEEDIN YOU ARE ENTITLED, AT N COST TO YOU, TO THE PROVISION OF CERTAIN ASSISTANCE. PLEASE CON ACT THE COLLIER COUN Y FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT LOCATED AT 3335 EAST TAMIAMI TRAIL, NAPLES, FLORIDA, 34112, (239) 252-8380 I. Call to Order II. Roll Call — Establish a Quorum A. Clarification of our Role as DAS Board Members /Decorum - Jim Rich III. Approval of Agenda IV. Approval of Minutes A. July 19, 2022 B. August 16,2022 V. Leadership Report VI. New Business A. Retail Pet Store Information — Kelly Hyland B. October Advisory Board Meeting Date - Jim Rich VII. Public Comments VIII. Advisory Board Member Comments IX. Adjourn N N O N O N a� E a� r a a� 0 m 0 Q a� a� E E LO N v M N N O N 0 N L a� E a� r a a� Cn Packet Pg. 21 July 19. 2022 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF COLLIER COUNTY DOMESTIC ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD N 0 N O N i Naples, Florida, July 19, 2022 E a a LET IT BE REMEMBERED that the Collier County Domestic Animal Services Advisory Board, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 6:00 PM in REGULAR SESSION at the Domestic Animal Services Training Room, 7610 Davis Blvd., Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: VICE CHAIRMAN: SECRETARY: Jim Rich Kelly Hyland Sue Law Dr. Robert March Meredith McLean Cpl. Sherry Rego Michele Antonia ALSO PRESENT: Marcy Perry, Director, Domestic Animal Services Cindy Delgado, Administrative Assistant, DAS Tanya Williams, County Public Services Department Head I Packet Pg. 22 July 19, 2022 Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the audio recording from Domestic Animal Services. I. Call to Order N 0 N Chairman Rich called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. N L II. Roll Call E A quorum of seven was established. Q co III. Approval of Agenda Chairman Rich said that before we approve the agenda, he sent in three items a week ago that didn't get on the agenda because DAS is changing some things and they never got to the right person. Ms. McLean, from the Humane Society of Naples, also contacted him today to ask if she could add something. He told her that under normal circumstances, Board members are required to give us a seven-day notice so we're not getting them at the last second and having to redo the agenda. But he wasn't here at one meeting and Meredith wasn't at another, so there are a few new members and he was remiss in not reminding the Board of that rule. He will allow the items to be added, with the Board's approval, and rewrote the agenda so everything is listed. He'd like to add to the section under Leadership Reports and give an update on the Community Cat Food Drive and the ordinance revision, which we've been waiting for and you'll find encouraging. That's added under Old Business and under New Business, rehoming pets and the DASAB meeting schedule were added. N N Dr. March made a motion to approve the agenda, with the above amendments: N Secretary Law seconded it. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0. cr� IV. Approval of Minutes— May 17, 2022 Ms. McClean noted that the minutes are not verbatim and are summary minutes. Ms. McLean made a motion to approve the minutes for June 21, 2022. Dr. March seconded & The notion passed unanimously, 7-0. V. Leadership Report [Marcy Perry, DAS Director] Ms. Perry provided staff and other updates and reported that: • Kellie Carroll was promoted to the operations manager position. • Cindy Delgado was hired as an administrative assistant, she's been here three weeks and will be attending DASAB meetings now. • An animal -care specialist was hired and has been here two weeks, including one week of training here. She'll be sitting at the front desk, handling administrative duties, strays, owner surrenders, etc. • A new senior animal -care specialist started Monday and is still completing HR intake paperwork and will undergo training next week. • A new vet tech with a lot of experience was hired and will start Aug. 15, joining DAS vet tech, Trevor, so we'll have two vet techs. • The vet tech salary was increased and another vet tech job is still posted. Others 2 Packet Pg. 23 July 19. 2022 were interviewed, but we're still looking. • The veterinarian position is still posted, with a $140,000 salary, which is negotiable. DAS also paid to list it on ASPCA, the Veterinary Society and other paid sites. The postings were vetted first, so it took time for them to go live. c Hopefully, the salary will increase. N • The DAS site also was updated to note that the vet salary is negotiable. N • The animal -care specialist job is still posted. • We are working with KeyStaff temp employees now. They stay as long as E they're working out and they're trained and treated like a County employee. • We put in a request for 10 more KeyStaff employees and one started Monday, y one starts tomorrow and eight are in the process of starting; that's contingent on passing background screening and drug testing. They also have additional c candidates they're going to be sending over for interviews so we have people on m the backburner in case one of these candidates falls through. c • Because we increased the KeyStaff salaries, we are getting quite a few candidates. There are a few waiting now and they do the internal interviews and a then send them to us if the candidate is viable, so we'll have an additional 10 employees here in the next two to three weeks. • We are very short staffed in field and operations. • Working with Tanya Williams, we were able to get County employees here at 7:30 a.m. to do morning cleanings and feedings. They clean the lobby and E Buildings 3 and 4, adoption dogs and feeding; sometimes there are two or three a helpers and sometimes 10. • They help us open at 10 a.m. before Key Staff employees are up and going. N • It's nice to get help from County agencies. We put a plea out and they responded. • We received several resignations from field officers. The field manager has done c interviews and accepted two candidates who are expected to start at the end of a August and the end of September; another position is -posted. .- 21 • We hired a senior animal control officer for Danielle's position after she was promoted to field -operations manager leader. The position had been vacant for a while. The new candidate is training with another senior animal -control officer and he'll be released from training in the next few weeks before he supervises the animal -control officers and is ready to train the two new hires. • I reached out to Dr Crawford at the University of Florida.. She'd conducted a DAS shelter assessment before I was employed here. That assesses how well it's = operating and they give recommendations and suggestions, as well as providing lifetime support. • We explained our need for spay and neuter, how important it is in the community, how we don't have a veterinarian on staff, how we have animals here that are adopted, but they can't go home because they're not spayed and neutered (unless they have a vet exemption), including animals who have owners. • OF put us in touch with the Bissell Foundation (the vacuum cleaner company) and Dr. Alana Cannup came and spent 3 %Z days at DAS, spaying 250 animals, which is unheard of. • 30-40 animals were waiting to go home that were already adopted and were then able to go to their new homes. • We had fosterers who wanted to adopt and they brought them in for spay and neuter and were able to adopt. 3 Packet Pg. 24 July 19. 2022 • She was able to spay and neuter nearly all the animals ready to go, with 58 of the 60 dogs completely fixed and all but 50 of the 300 cats. • To do 60-70 dogs in one day is almost unheard of • Thanks to Dr. March, who let us use his son and several Harborside vet techs; we N only have one vet tech now, so they worked with Grace and Danielle. N d N [The Tails and Tidbits newsletter video was played] • Dr. Cannup also did two eye enucleations for kittens because we couldn't find a E c. Collier vet to do it; that helped get them placed into homes. W • The Bissell Foundation supports helping pets. Every time you buy a Bissell product, they help a shelter in need. • Dr. Cannup travels to shelters. She said the most spay and neuters she'd done in m° one day was 246, so we wanted her to beat that number and she did 250 here. It 0 took quite an effort to break that record. • Dr. Cannup got permission to return here; Bissell Foundation doesn't approve a help if you're not organized. She felt DAS was very organized. • The plan is to get the entire shelter sterilized. We used to do outside surgeries, but can't when we're short-staffed. Once we get the population under control, in we're going to see if Dr. Cannup can return. • She was able to do surgeries in addition to spays and neuters. E • When she learned about the kittens who needed eye enucleations and a cat that a needed a tail amputated, she said she could do the amputation in two minutes N while spaying and neutering. N • She gave us a high score at the Bissell Foundation and we were very happy and impressed with her. c • We're still using outside clinics for spays/neuters because we get animals daily. • We've started to reach out to vet offices for spays and neuters and did 20 on Monday through outside vets, with 10 more tomorrow. • We're still sending medical cases to outside vets. Community Cat Food Drive • This was done this past weekend in partnership with For the Love of Cats and the Collier County Veterinary Society. • We still have food left over and will give them to community cat feeders. • We have a video clip of the Community Cat Food Drive that was picked up by news stations WINK and FOX-4. • It educates the community that there are 50,000 feral cats in the county and more are being abandoned. • We're still taking in animals and the numbers are climbing; intakes at shelters in Florida and nationwide also are rising. Part of it is due to COVID. • We looked at shelters across Florida and our numbers are definitely higher than last year. Rabbit Adoptions • Heather, our marketing coordinator, did an incredible job and nearly all the rabbits have been adopted, except three. Chairman Rich asked if DAS spays the rabbits first. 4 Packet Pg. 25 July 19, 2022 Ms. Perry said rabbits have a higher anesthesia risk, so they were taken to Fort Myers. There's a rabbit in the back who is being held for a criminal case and needs medical attention. We did a blood panel, a urinalysis and had an exotic vet do that. Vl. Old Business Chairman Rich noted that many in the audience and volunteers have been corning to DAS meetings for years. In the past, people would be looking at us and the previous director wouldn't engage with the audience. Marcy engages with the community. He wants to make these Board meetings less formal because the community is important and needs to be included. A. Community Cat Food Update — [Chairman Rich] Chairman Rich noted that Dr. March was kind enough to say we can do a Community Cat Food Coalition and got behind it. This is the very first coalition we've ever had where all the groups were united and doing something positive and that was exciting for us. It was great to help people out and hand out the food and help the cats being fed, but more importantly, he received three-four dozen calls from the public after WINK and FOX aired it. They said, "We had no idea. Is this true? Are there that many cats out there? Do we have this kind of problem?" He told them we do. They didn't know the extent of the problem. It was the first time that anything on news had actually mentioned this so the public could see what's going on,. We've tried local newspapers, but they don't want to publish anything because they're afraid it will hurt tourism. At least these two news organizations came out here. We had a call from the executive director of WINK News who told Jan that those figures have to be wrong. It can't be 50,000 and Jan said, "You're right. It is wrong. It's more than that." We gave her the backgrounds on what they use as a standard, which is for every seven people in the population nationwide, there's approximately one cat that's out there that's feral or domestic, so in Collier County, with about 450,000 people, there are about 57,000 cats. In past years, we've estimated we have somewhere between 50,000 and 75,000. I'm hoping this brings more awareness to the public and they may do more to help organizations provide food and support. The first coalition partnership was a huge success, thanks to the initial efforts of Dr. March and Harborside Animal Hospital, For the Love of Cats, Hills Pet Food, DAS and a few other veterinary clinics, such as Eastside Animal Clinic, Affordable Pet Care, Naples Coastal Animal Hospital, North Naples Animal Hospital and Town and Country Animal Hospital. We collected 278 large and small bags and cans, which was nearly 6,000 pounds of food. Harborside alone was responsible for almost half, so thank you Dr. March. You can tell your clients it was very appreciated by our community. I want to acknowledge and thank the many volunteers who helped load, unload and distribute all the food this past Saturday, especially the 26-foot U-Haul truck, which was filled from front to back. Myself and one other person loaded that entire thing. We passed out food to almost 50 caregivers, representing over 900 cats. And thanks to Heather, from DAS, for taking the day to take many photos. We'd be in a dire situation if it were not for caregiver feeders. I hope we can do this again in the future, maybe twice a year. B. DAS Ordinance Revision Update — [Chairman Rich] Chairman Rich said we've all been frustrated by the delays in our new version of our N N O N O N a) E a) a a) Cn N N O N o� 21 7 5 Packet Pg. 26 July 19. 2022 ordinances but it goes through many people who put their rubber stamp on it before going back to Marcy. It goes through several people before the County Attorney gives final approval. This email came today [see email from CAO for the full version]: Our office has a meeting scheduled with Marcy to review the proposed final version of N N N the DAS Ordinance on Aug. 3. 1 am currently working with Code Enforcement and Mike N Ossorio regarding the enforcement procedures and the DAS Ordinance as we are trying to align the enforcement and penalties with the system already in place in code as both DAS and code violations are under the jurisdiction of the Special Magistrate. This should Q. allow for increased enforcement mechanisms for DAS and a level of consistency across in divisions. I As background, Senate Bill 620 was passed by lawmakers on March 9, but it was vetoed by Governor DeSantis on June 24. This bill would have allowed businesses to sue local governments far loss of revenue and attorney fees if new ordinances or changes to existing ordinances caused a 15% or more loss of income. Had this bill passed, it would have had an impact on any new County regulation or requirements for annual based businesses. Until the governor signed the bill, that was one of the things holding up the Ordinance revision. This DAS Ordinance revision has been an ongoing project since at least January 2020, not to mention the three we've had over the last 10 years. Before that, however, the extent and nature of the Ordinance changes has been an Q ongoing process to meet the needs of DAS, which has been under Marcy's leadership since August 2021. The BCC directed DAS staff in March 2020 to hold a workshop to It discuss proposed changes to the Ordinance, but that didn't occur due to COVID. It's wise N to have a version of the ordinance that staff and the CA is comfortable with prior to N holding any workshops, as many of the items that were suggested in early 2020 were not N incorporated because they were consumer -related and beyond the purview of County a; regulations. A workshop would be the proper mechanism for public discussion. 21 Chairman Rich said that bill could have killed the Ordinance. I think we're on our way, but it's not going to happen tomorrow. Once a copy of the final Ordinance is available, we need to be included in the review so we can make suggestions. a, Vice Chair Hyland asked the reasoning behind fearing lawsuits. Chairman Rich said the bill the governor vetoed would have allowed pet stores to sue if they lost 15% of their business. VII. New Business A. Rehoening Pets — [Ms. McLean] Ms. McClean said that during the last meeting, her comments at the end reflected that there's a lot that we can do outside the shelter itself to help support keeping animals at home. My position at Humane Society allows me to do a lot of that work. There are lots of rehoming websites out there and it's been a trend that many County and private shelters are requiring or providing handouts on getting animals into a home because a lot of them are at managed admissions at this point, so there could be two weeks before an animal comes to a shelter. We all know it's better for animals to go directly to homes and they get better information from the previous owner versus corning to us. Most of us have had rehoming options on our websites for people to use, but a lot of those 6 Packet Pg. 27 July 19. 2022 have dwindled. There's a national organization called Comes Home that has come forward. It's a paid rehoming program and there's a lot that the shelter can do with it. it can help rewrite bios, communicate with owners, prevent certain things from happening and the shelter can step up and provide a spay and neuter voucher if they aren't neutered. It's something that we've invested in, a tool that's available. We have dedicated staff and volunteers that will be monitoring that and I think it would be a good help to not just DAS, but other community organizations to be able to use that platform. Having the same message, a bigger message, makes people more comfortable dealing with it. You can say if you don't see a pet here, go to this website. The reality is a lot of animals go to good homes, not shelters. Chairman Rich asked if anyone could use it. Ms. McLean said yes and if people search for "rehoming," that site comes up and they can put in their ZIP code. There are proven methods, such as you could say you have to be on a rehoming page to adopt from us or set up an appointment, and then people are more willing to go on a paid website. Dr. March asked whether people from Miami are trying to get rid of animals. Ms. McLean said yes, they're getting a lot of surrenders and applications from Miami and that's the closest shelter that uses that website. She's written an email that she'll send to Miami contacts to say HSN is getting applications and surrenders from Miami. B. Meeting Schedule — [Chairman Rich] Chairman Rich noted that eight months ago, this Board used to meet every other month and it wasn't enough, so we decided to keep the scheduled meetings and fill in gaps with workshops. We filled in a lot tonight. Once we get the new Ordinance, we're going to be very busy. Does anybody want to make a motion to discuss not meeting in August? Secretary Law made a motion to discuss holding no meeting in Aagusx Dr. March seconded it The motion passed unanimously, 7-0. Ms. Antonia asked if they were required to meet every month. Chairman Rich said it was not required. Ms. Williams noted that is stated on Page 3, Section 6. Chairman Rich read, "The Board shall hold meetings monthly, unless otherwise stated." Ms. Williams said the Board shall hold meetings monthly to make recommendations to the BCC to assist DAS; make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on program services, classes and special events that will further assist DAS in providing the best possible service to community, feed supplies and review construction and improvements to DAS facilities and make recommendations to the BCC regarding such facilities. Chairman Rich said we have been allowed to give more input_ That is not a technical function of the Board, but we've been operating under a 2004 Ordinance, with no new amendments. Vice Chair Hyland said we should have monthly meetings. It's the only time we can N N O N O N d E d a d N N O N 3 Packet Pg. 28 July 19. 2022 talk as a group. It's not going to be done by next week. I'm in favor of meeting every month. Chairman Rich said we've had some very important discussions, but time is valuable. Dr. March said he's just curious. There's not much discussion. It doesn't seem like we discuss what we need to do as a group. The Sunshine Law makes it difficult. Vice Chair Hyland said we can do it here, That's why it's important to meet so when topics come up, we can discuss them and come up with a solution, a goal and a plan. Dr. March said it puts on a little pressure when you have an audience. Who's going to talk to the BCC? Do we go as a group? Chairman Rich said the public has the option of being here. We're here for the animals. If the BCC doesn't like what we're doing, it's too bad. Maybe we could do a workshop. We can talk then but can't set policy. Ms. Williams said workshops aren't open for public discussion. The public can attend, you still must give notice and have a quorum. The last workshop was between the BCC and Naples City Council. The public did not participate. Secretary Law said a workshop is a great idea. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • There is very little contribution by all Board members because several are still getting their feet wet. • Items members want to discuss should be sent to Marcy. • They should consider having a draft agenda two weeks prior to the meeting, not two or three days prior. • Marcy can send communications and a draft agenda by email as a one-way communication and Board members should not hit "reply all," just reply to Marcy • Having alternating workshops with meetings would be helpful. • The public brings up many repeated complaints. • Board members can talk to each other outside a meeting but can't discuss something they're currently (or will be) discussing before the Board. Vice Chair Hyland made a motion to hold a workshop in August. Dr. March seconded u The motion passed unanimously, 7 0. Vice Chair Hyland said that back in 2009 or 2011, they agreed to create a DASAB subcommittee to work on Animal Control Ordinance changes to strengthen current regulations and address, if desired, a replacement for the three -dog limit being removed from the LDC. That was part of this Board's purview, to get involved. Chairman Rich said absolutely. We are called to go above and beyond from time to time. VIII. Public Comments Al Schantzen said he volunteers from 3-6 p.m. every night. The staff and facilities have been very good at keeping the portable air conditioners running at two facilities. Being technically minded due to his past job in aviation maintenance, he downloaded the instructions to troubleshoot the units. N N O N 2, Packet Pg. 29 July 19. 2022 The installation manual says that you should keep the air conditioner external to the space you're trying to cool. You're supposed to have duct work and backflow pressure, so there's grill time over cooling coils so the volumetrics increases the cooling aspects of the air that's corning out. It's supposed to have five feet on either side of it, free space to keep the condenser working properly. We only have 6 feet of space to walk in with the dogs and now we have a 30-inch air conditioner? He asked the Board to recommend to the County that they get proper facilities maintenance engineers to talk to the manufacturer to come up with a solution or put a proper system in. August is coming and it's really miserable in there. You need to put proper AC handlers in. Those are old. He didn't know what it's like in the third building. The County didn't read the installation manual. Ms. Williams said they've had the Facilities director onsite. They said the design of the buildings is not conducive to those units, so they must be re -engineered. It is a high priority and Facilities is working on it. We are looking at a redesign of the AC system. The AC system was retrofitted and is obviously not to spec without design modifications. We're all aware of the issue. It's a continual conversation and people are looking into it. Dr. March asked if they could use fans as a short-term fix. Ms. Williams said that was a conversation she had with Facilities. The building is designed to act as a chimney. Fans will only help if they don't open the doors, so you can't control the atmosphere then. Ms. Williams said the doors would have to be open or closed all the time. Vice Chair Hyland asked who they could bring this issue to and make it a higher priority to get the job done immediately. Ms. Williams said the last conversation she had with the Facilities director is that he's bringing in higher -powered rental units to help and remedy the situation as soon as possible. We're not sitting on this. If you bring this to County Commissioners, they'll send it back to us. The County staff still has to do some work. Mr. Shantzen said if you bring in temporary units, bring outside ducts in. There are no return ducts whatsoever. You shouldn't have them installed like that. Chairman Rich asked Ms. Williams if they could look into that. It makes sense that it's (inside air) being recirculated. Patty Tenlet said she's a longtime volunteer and applauded DAS's loyal and determined staff, which faced constant challenges with so many animals while being understaffed and having new employees going through training. She applauded Marcy and her efforts in getting 250 animals spayed and neutered and commended the Bissell Foundation. She also expressed appreciation for the people from various County divisions who have been cleaning kennels and handling deliveries, which are to the ceiling every day. It's not like it's hard work to empty the trash. They have been extremely helpful. Dogs are fed, kennels are clean, and when the public and the volunteers come in, it's good that they don't see garbage and there's no longer a smell. She doesn't know what they'll do until all the employees are trained. There are so many things that could be replaced or improved and maybe that's in the works. Are there definite plans for a new building or can that money be used to improve conditions at the shelter? The subject of a new building has been tossed around since November 2018. With no vet on staff for quite a while, it has delayed so many general procedures. The website says the salary is $140,000 negotiable. It said it's going to pull it in a week. What does that mean? Are there other avenues to research if salary isn't the 9 Packet Pg. 30 July 19. 2022 problem? Has some thought been given to hiring veterinary students to diagnose common diseases like ringworm or perform a heartworm test? SNIP Collier uses part-time vets to do their spay and neuters. N N Already adopted dogs and dogs available for adoption are being held back for rabies N vaccinations and heartworm tests. Would it be possible to canvas vet offices to perform N those procedures and volunteers can help to transfer pets to another location far from Naples. It is so frustrating when an animal can't go because of a shot or a heartworm test, and apparently only vets can do heartworm tests. Q. a� We all know how hard Grace works in so many capacities. What is the status of splitting her position, enabling her to be a dedicated volunteer coordinator that we need immensely, and creating a separate position for foster rescue coordinator? Can we do this immediately? Since small animals are quickly adopted, she's heard at least three people daily ask for small pets. Wouldn't it make sense to eliminate the first -approved process? We see pets waiting days and sometimes weeks for the first -approved to be contacted to come in, which ties up valuable kennel space. If placed in adoptions as soon as the five-day hold were up, the adoption process would be expedited, resulting in less time for them in the shelter. The staff here is very busy. Sometimes staff doesn't come in the next day. Who's going E to follow up with that while the cat or the dog is waiting? To get small dogs adopted, you a don't have to do this anymore. She doesn't know how it started or what the reason was. Chairman Rich said that's not something the Board can decide, but those were all very cm LO valid points. He also noted that: N • DAS's biggest problem is transferring dogs elsewhere. Michael Simonik is interested N in transporting dogs and cats to a vet. N • The closest vet school is in Gainesville and the County has been working with local o; vets to establish one here. A discussion then ensued and the following points were made: ' • Finding a veterinarian or vet tech is difficult now and is a problem for all vet practices. It can take eight weeks. There are at least 30 vet hospitals looking for vets. as • Many animal hospitals aren't taking new clients because they can't handle current N clients. a.i • Veterinary students must work under a vet. • Vet techs can do heartworm tests. • DAS staff can do tests, but not vaccines. If a test is heartworm positive, DAS staff can't do the treatment. • The property down the street was too small for a new DAS building, so the County is looking for another site and possibly could use an Immokalee building. • The money earmarked for construction is set aside for that and cannot be used for anything else. • They are looking at splitting money for improvements here and another site. • This is a County timeline, not a Facilities, DAS or Marcy timeline. • The longest lead time is for development of scope and design. • The County was going in a direction that would have severely impacted the ability of DAS to serve the animal population, so it was stopped and the County must go in a different direction. 10 Packet Pg. 31 July 19. 2022 • The County can use the original scope and match it to what it can do here onsite and possibly a second site. • Once the scope is nailed down, the County can provide DASAB with a timeline; the scope is pretty much done. • Ms. Williams plans to return to the August workshop with a complete update on the facility and a formal update on the vet -tech education program. George Barton said he's been a fosterer for several years and just started working with dogs. He'd like to start doing that on Sundays and he'd like DAS to be open for adoptions for families on Sunday afternoons. Chairman Rich said that it's been discussed numerous times before, but unfortunately, staffing is a problem and DAS is shut down on Sunday. Ms. Perry said DAS is not open to the public on Sundays, but she could ask about him walking dogs on Sundays. Volunteering on Sundays is a possibility. Lynne Cram, a volunteer and Pooch Pal, said she's still new and has concerns about safety for dogs and volunteers. There are design flaws in both buildings, but especially in the recently updated ones. The doors to the cages open out, so you're in a tiny cage with the dog behind you. One day she was returning Gemini, a Pitbull mix, to her cage and another volunteer was already in the cage with her dog. She had shut the door, but it failed to latch. It sounded like it did, but it didn't_ Her dog was able to push the cage open. Both dogs were nose -to -nose. We were all very lucky that neither one of these dogs were aggressive. Both of them could have been seriously injured or even killed, not to mention the harm that could have come to the volunteers. If the door opened inward, then a dog would not be able to open it just by pushing on it. She wasn't certain if this issue had been reported before, but she was afraid if it was reported and not corrected, it could lead to litigation. Another issue is that the latches are very hard to get to from inside. It's great to keep dogs out, but hard to let volunteers out. There's a cement wall and you have to stick your fingers in between the cement wall and then the outside of the door and then try to lift it out. You must turn your back to do this. There must be a better way. She also heard that at least six people have hit their heads on the latches. The little knobs stick out farther than they should. She didn't know what material was used for the new doors, she heard it was aluminum, but the dogs are able to bend the wires. She's heard paws are getting stuck. It's not strong enough. Also, the AC can't keep up with the heat. Can you put an insulated ceiling in so we're not cooling all the way up to the roof? What's the problem getting vets on staff? Dogs have been stuck in cages for two weeks after being adopted, waiting to be spayed or neutered or for a vaccine. It's not fair to the dogs or the families. If we're not getting vets interested in the DAS vet position, maybe Collier County could increase the salary by $50,000 to sweeten the pot to get them here. Chairman Rich said he understands that people have gone inside cages and couldn't get out. We've already spent money and everything is new. He wondered if they could be retrofitted. Mr. Shantzen asked if he'd like the opinion of an aircraft engineer. Chairman Rich said he would. N N O N O N L a a� Cn N N O N o� 21 0 11 Packet Pg. 32 July 19. 2022 Mr. Shantzen said yes, you can. Chairman Rich said any major changes are going to cost a lot of money and time, but it's for safety and things can be looked at and maybe retrofitted. Mr. Shautzen said he's gotten stuck, as well. Audience: You can just put a rope on it and pull up and the latch opens. That's what we did in our community. Chairman Rich said that would be a simple solution. That's not our decision, but he asked Ms. Perry and Ms. Williams if they could look into that. Susie Meehas said she wants to talk about cats. Do they have air conditioning? Audience: Yes, they do. Ms. Meehas said stainless steel makes it pretty hot in the buildings. She asked what was in Building 3. Ms. Perry said dogs. Ms. Meehas thanked Marcy for being proactive. In the 1960s, the mantra was if you see a problem, you become a part of the solution. Anybody can complain. Being proactive and getting people here is wonderful. She thanked Chairman Rich and Dr. March for the food drive and asked how many vets there are in Collier County. Dr. March said 150 ballpark. Ms. Meehas asked if one vet could donate one day to DAS once every 2% months. Dr. March said she could ask. He's already asked. He's on the Board of the Collier County Veterinary Society, which meets tomorrow night. He's been emailing vets to put it out there, but he can't make them do anything. He can bring it up at the meeting. Ms. Meehas said every animal is the County's responsibility. It's the County's taxes and taxpayers' taxes. She said Dr. Kim Schemmer (Gulfshore Animal Hospital) probably would help and this would be covered. Dr. March asked if she could do that. Ms. Meehas said she would. She said others who would help would be Dr. Sterling Sigmond and Dr. Morgan Faerber (Naples Coastal Animal Hospital) and Dr. Randy Eisel (Animalife Veterinary Center). Chairman Rich said Dr. March contacted animal hospitals to ask them to donate five or 10 bags and that would be matched. Dr. March said only seven responded. Chairman Rich noted that they only got six people out of all those vets and Dr. Schemmer wasn't one. Ms. Meehas asked if he contacted front -desk staff. Dr. March said you have no idea how many emails he sent. He contacted vets, managers and front -desk staff, every single vet and office manager. Ms. Meehas said these animals belong to all of us so we have to figure this out. She's also appalled that two cats couldn't get eye surgery out of 150 vets countywide. Two kittens couldn't get their eye surgery? That's painful. Dr. March said he didn't know anything about that. Ms. Meehas said she spoke with the woman who operates the River Park Community Center and she'd love it if DAS could speak about the importance of spaying and neutering and she'd bring in an audience. She (Ms. Meehas) traps cats in that area and it's a huge problem. There are cats all over at night. Someone needs to do something. [E Packet Pg. 33 July 19, 2022 Ms. Perry said if she gives her the information, she'll reach out. Chairman Rich said that's not something the Board can do. He respects her passion, but the Board can't do anything about it. Even the AC isn't the purview of the Board. She'd have to speak with DAS management. N Ms. Cram called the air conditioning situation dangerous. N Audience member said they do have volunteers who want to come in early to walk dogs. C N Chairman Rich said that also has nothing to do with the Board. She'd have to speak to Ms. Perry. a a� Tom Kepp, of SNIP Collier, welcomed Cpl. Rego and asked who heads the CCSO's cruelty division. Ms. Rego said it was Lt. Chris Goldhorn, who was here two weeks ago. m Mr. Kepp said County dispatchers are not familiar with the cruelty division. Ms. Rego said dispatchers would have to contact a detective about it. 0 Mr. Kepp asked what if they don't know about the cruelty division? He called and asked to be connected with the cruelty division and the dispatcher didn't know what he was N talking about. He said he'd recorded that. He also recorded himself at the last meetingCD asking that his name not be included in the minutes. He requested the recording from the last meeting. His name and address were on it. He also requested the CCSO phone calls to CD U) DAS to see if they gave his name, or if they just knew it was him. He spoke with the E County Attorney, who told him that Gov. DeSantis signed a bill that ensures there are no a more anonymous phone calls to County Commissioners or to the Sheriffs Office. He noted that he'd send them that information. He pointed out that their emails are not on the LO DAS website. He wanted the Assistant County Attorney to provide information on going M on properties and anonymous calls. He wanted her interpretation. You can call the 04 Sheriff's Department and you can make an anonymous call. He was told he can't do that. N Ms. Rego asked who told him that. Mr. Kepp said the dispatcher told him, and the County Attorney. >, Ms. Rego said she'd listen to that then. They tell us what we can do. Mr. Kepp said Lee County allows anonymous calls. Once he clarifies it by email, they can talk about it again. Jim, the idea that you don't have a purview on enforcement is wrong. You can interpret it any way you want. He said DASAB's responsibility is to recommend things to the BCC. Chairman Rich said that is correct. Mr. Keep asked how many times he'd made a recommendation, except for the pet store. Chairman Rich said twice, but not since he's been chairman. Mr. Kepp said he wanted to know how many since he was chairman. That was when he was a citizen. You have been directed many times. There have been ordinance changes that the Board has asked for since 2012. The BCC thanked DASAB for helping them, but didn't pass anything DASAB asked for. They took a lot of stuff out. You just read that email from the County Attorney. What did that mean? Two things were changed, sides of the cages at pet stores and hobby breeders had to have health certificates on every puppy or kitten that they gave away or sold. Chairman Rich said he believed that's in the new ordinance. Mr. Kepp asked, is it? Then why did that have to wait for Gov. DeSantis? [Talking over the Chairman's answer] 13 Packet Pg. 34 Chairman Rich said Tom, you're asking me to talk, so have respect for me to answer, 3.A.3 OK? Now, this has been going on for quite a while. It's going from one hand to the oth , and when it got close, the reason it was held up now was only because of this new law that DeSantis shut down. Otherwise, it would have nullified what we're trying to pass through here, and there's some good stuff in there and we're going to make sure ... Mr. Kepp asked what part of that law says anything is going to affect the hobby breeder from keeping puppies eight weeks and having health certificates on up because right now you're leaving puppies in the dirt, full of worms, and that's a fact. He has records for the last three months. Do you guys have any freaking consideration of the animals out in the field? Chairman Rich said yeah, we do. Mr. Kepp said really? You're so worried about everything we do. Have you pulled the record on the one you reported? Chairman Rich said he didn't see a real problem with this. Mr. Kepp asked if he was serious. Chairman Rich said he was serious. We don't have to discuss this here. Mr. Kepp said he's a member of the public. Doesn't he have a right? Chairman Rich said he will talk to him anytime. You wait until you come here so you can bully everyone. Mr. Kepp said he couldn't speak. It was his turn to speak. Chairman Rich said if he speaks, please be civil to the people and calm down. Mr. Kepp said he's being civil. You calm down. Cpl. Rego told Mr. Kepp he's got the floor. Mr. Kepp said he didn't have the floor. He won't let me. [Mr. Kepp continued talking over others] Cpl. Rego said he's asking the Chairman questions and he's trying to respond but you're talking over him. Do it civilly. When you ask a question, wait for a response. Chairman Rich said he read the entire report. The officer was out there. He even went around to the back, not to the back of the house because you're not supposed to, but he went to the neighbor's house to view the back and took pictures there. He said it didn't look like anyone had had been in there. Then you said, "Well, they should be going back to history and looking at 2019, when there was someone there." Mr. Kepp said the officer didn't go close the place. [He showed the Board the Xs he'd marked.] He went down here. Chairman Rich said according to the report, he stopped at all three houses. Mr. Kepp said no he didn't. He went there. Read the addresses. I'll read it. I have the time. Chairman Rich said he had three minutes left. [A heated discussion ensued.] Mr. Kepp said he wanted DASAB to enforce the law. Chairman Rich said DASAB isn't the enforcer. Did you go to Marcy or her boss? Mr. Kepp said he'd already reported them and they put his name on it. You just don't want to see the records. Cpl. Rego asked what he was trying to address. Who is doing enforcement? She's 14 Packet Pg. 35 IX. July 19, 2022 confused. Chairman Rich said Board members are not enforcers and don't set policy. Mr. Kepp said he expected them to say they have enforcement rules and they're not being enforced. These are cruelty cases. DAS and CCSO need to enforce this. N Chairman Rich told him that if he's going to be like this, he's going to have to ask him N to sit down. [He hit the gavel.] N Mr. Kepp said he'd sit down because he was wasting his time. E [Mr. Kepp and others talked over each other.] Q as Cpl. Rego said she hadn't seen them, so she's confused about what he's discussing. Mr. Kepp said she didn't know because she wasn't at the last meeting. Chairman Rich said if he continues, he won't allow him to speak. He's being disruptive, calling people and threatening them with lawsuits and with losing their jobs. Mr. Kepp said no one has threatened anybody. If someone comes to his house and threatens his family. Wait until he gets the records. You can't ignore this so you can have a perfect little world up here. And it's not happening. Who is trapping cats now? Chairman Rich said that's not his business. Ms. Meehas said we're all trapping. Mr. Kepp said you're giving all this food away. Who is enforcing an effort to fix the problem? [Mr. Kepp and others continued talking over each other.] Chairman Rich said enough. Please, everyone. I don't want this to happen again. If N anyone comes in here and wants to start this this again, you're not welcome. I will not N tolerate it again. I'm telling you right now. That's it, Tom. N Mr. Kepp said you just don't want to answer questions. Chairman Rich said that's it. [Mr. Kepp left] Chairman Rich apologized to the audience and said he won't tolerate it in the future. If that happens again, he'll have an officer escort him out. That is not what these Board meetings are supposed to be. I will not tolerate it in the future and you have my word. it won't happen again. Advisory Board Member Comments Vice Chair Hyland read a post about a couple who found a German Shepherd by the side of the road by a Wawa by the Largo Apartments. The woman posted again and said she couldn't get help after 9 p.m. What is happening with dogs found after 9 p.m.? Chairman Rich said he spoke with Marcy extensively about that post the other day. Ms. Perry said DAS shifts end at 9 p.m. and after-hours, it's emergency only, cruelty and neglect. Officers work 7 a.m_ to 9 p.m. We are looking at different animal shelters. We don't have enough officers who can do it. They checked how other counties handle this. Most only handle emergencies, such as bites, severe injuries and animals posing a clear, present danger. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • DAS informs people there is a 10-hour response time for pickup. 15 Packet Pg. 36 July 19. 2022 • People can hold animals until an officer arrives in bathroom or bedroom. • DAS can look into exterior kennels_ • There are outside kennels/drop boxes in Immokalee, but they aren't easy to use or get through the gate. • Cpl. Rego will check with superiors to see what they could do. • Consider holding a workshop on this topic. • To provide officers with scanners, they would have to check with the legal department. • Most dogs that do come in with microchips are reunited with their owners. • Dogs leave the shelter with a leash and a collar. • if they are not spayed or neutered, they are before they leave_ • A pending state bill may allow other professionals, besides vets, to administer the rabies vaccine. • Many veterinarians are doing a lot of pro bona work. • Doing workshops and alternating with regular meetings will be beneficial. • Board members will provide suggestions to Marcy before meetings. X. Adjourn Next meeting: Aug. 16, 2022, 6 p.m. Workshop Secretary Law made a motion to adjourn. CpL Rego seconded it. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0. There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was N concluded at 8:28 p.m. o N Collier County Domes*Animal Services 3 Jain s Rich These minutes were approved�y the Committee/Chairman on5£ ��� D3 - �a (check one) as presented , , or as amended 16 Packet Pg. 37 August ib_ 2022 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF COLLIER COUNTY DOMESTIC ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD Naples, Florida, August 16, 2022 LET IT BE REMEMBERED that the Collier County Domestic Animal Services Advisory Board, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 6:00 PM in REGULAR SESSION at the Domestic Animal Services Training Room, 7610 Davis Blvd., Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Jim Rich VICE CHAIRMAN: Kelly Hyland SECRETARY: Sue Law Dr. Robert March Meredith McLean Cpl. Sherry Rego Michele Antonia ALSO PRESENT: Marcy Perry, Director, Domestic Animal Services Cindy Delgado, Administrative Assistant, DAS Tanya Williams, County Public Services Department Head 1 Packet Pg. 38 August 16. 2022 Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of c the audio recording from Domestic Animal Services. N 0 N I. Call to Order Chairman Rich called the workshop to order at 6:02 p.m. E a II. Roll Call in A quorum of seven was established. _ II1. How Board Members Can Best Support DAS Chairman Rich welcomed everyone to the workshop, saying it's a workshop for our board members and staff to discuss issues strictly among themselves. But at the end, the audience will have an opportunity to comment. A. Rescues Helping Community Cats [Michele Antonia] Ms. Antonia reported that: • Some people are getting citations ordering them to get a hobby breeder's license because they have kittens around their house. She E spoke with Marcy about this and reviewed ACOs' notes. In one case, a an ACO told a resident that if they were feeding the cats, they're N yours, so the ACO is essentially telling them not to feed them and M condoning people letting cats starve. • People don't know that if you have cats around your house, you can N consider them community cats. Chances are a cat came to the house, CD N you fed it and didn't know the cat was pregnant and then she had babies and now you have 12 cats. y • People don't understand how quickly cats become pregnant. She spoke with a highly educated hotel executive who said he didn't Q understand how his cat got pregnant after just having a litter. y • In another situation, an ACO asked the person if the chickens around the house were his and he said "no." Then the ACO asked if the cats around the house were his and he said `eyes." People don't understand a, ownership. S • Some Immokalee residents believe that chickens there are protected a by the state and you can't pick them up or eat them, so if they believe a chickens are protected in Florida, they won't say that they're theirs. N • ACOs used to tell residents if they saw cats and dogs running around c that they could get them spayed and neutered. That no longer happens. • She believes excessive kittens/cats outside should require a $200 breeder's permit at a high cost because if you can't afford a breeder's in permit, you can't afford a $107 fine. • She'd like to help ACOs, especially in Immokalee, where English, E E Spanish and Creole are spoken, along with several indigenous a dialects. They may not understand the Community Cat Program because many don't write and others don't understand certain E Packet Pg. 39 August 16. 2022 dialects. N 0 • We need to educate people about the Community Cat Program. N • ACOs could distribute her business cards or take a resident's name N and number and ask her to call that resident. a) M • Residents need to understand that spaying and neutering helps the E kitten problem. • Residents need to know signs, such as a cat dragging its rear end, y which could show it was attacked by a dog, or that there's a way to hold a kitten so it won't be in pain. c • There are enough starving cats out there that we don't need to m promote starving more cats. c • A study showed that if people feed cats in one area and if you stopped feeding them, they will stay there, reproduce and die off and keep a reproducing to keep up numbers. a • This cat situation is happening everywhere, not just Immokalee. Chairman Rich asked if DAS was really telling ACOs not to feed cats. Ms. Perry said there was an incident where someone did say they didn't own the chickens but they owned the cats. Once they took ownership, they got a notice to comply with a breeder's license. Chairman Rich said more education about Community Cats is needed. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: N • ACOs can take advantage of rescue groups that would love to assist CD N in the field. • DAS could distribute information about TNR. • WiFi isn't good in Immokalee, which makes it harder for ACOs to a do their jobs. , • Various dialects in Immokalee make it harder to convey information accurately. • DAS is short on field officers and is down to four, who are traveling everywhere for a call and then staying in that area in case there are other calls. a • Marcy agreed to schedule time with Ms. Antonia to discuss this as issue. a o • For the Love of Cats, Animal Compassion Project, Paws, and Megan (Naples Cat Alliance) are willing to help. 3 • For the Love of Cats has a new full-time volunteer who is now focusing on transporting cats; the group can help with transports. • Consider an educational presentation with trusted partners. • A lot of people are feeding cats and think they're doing the right o thing. E • Many people are intimidated by Iaw enforcement and ACOs but are a comfortable with rescue groups. Packet Pg. 40 August 16. 2022 B. Roundtable discussion: How the board can assist with getting animals out of N the shelter N Chairman Rich read a list that included: N • Finding other no -kill shelters with the capacity to take the animals. • Holding more adoption events. E • Closing the doors and taking in no more strays until they're adopted. a • Releasing friendly cats into a safer environment. v� • TNR feral kittens over 2 pounds, rather than placing them in foster ' homes due to a shortage of foster homes. o • Euthanasia, which he doesn't advocate. How do you prioritize that? CO Biters, incontinence, older dogs with no hope of adoption? o • Reuniting animals with owners more quickly. • The board needs to consider everything possible. a Ms. Antonia asked how many animals are returned after adoption events. Ms. Perry said the numbers are the same across the board, whether it's an CO adoption event or adoption from DAS. E Ms. McLean said that when Humane Society Naples holds a special event, it E results in a less than 3% return rate. An event brings in more people to adopt a pets. C14 Ms. Perry said special events have brought more people to DAS to check out M animals before the event, with nine dogs adopted before this weekend's event. Before the Bissell Foundation came, animals weren't spayed and N neutered so they couldn't be adopted out. Now they have a variety of spayed N and neutered animals, so they're having an adoption event this weekend and are advertising it every way possible. DAS asked for help from libraries, museums, HOAs, parks and posted photos at boutiques_ Nine dogs adopted is usually a big number, but we have 150 dogs now and quite a few cats. a A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • Lost & Found books aren't being updated for people who visit DAS to search for lost pets. • Reports are taken when people call DAS, but employees are often too busy to file those in the Lost & Found book; it depends on who answers the phone. • Tracking and filing reports on "found dogs" needs to be done more. • DAS receives 100 emails daily but is open to solutions on streamlining the process. • Assign an employee or volunteer to handle emails and check voicemails. • DAS staffing levels are low and that's causing some of these problems. • If you don't have a name with a phone number, BeenVerified can find the number. Secretary Law offered to handle that if DAS needs a number checked. • "Found Signs" can be posted where an animal was found to help find 4 Packet Pg. 41 August 16. 2022 an owner. �Z N • Secretary Law offered to update the Lost & Found books and Ms. N Perry said she'd put her in touch with Grace. N • Many people who have a lost pet come to DAS to fill out a lost -pet form and to check if their pet is there. E • Forms could be made more accessible so those waiting in lane at Q DAS can fill them out while waiting. in • DAS found that with too many forms, visitors were filling out the ' wrong forms, even though they are clearly marked, which upsets visitors. m • Paperwork needs to be completed by staff and entered into the c database. • Staff can hand visitors the proper forms to fill out. Q • Secretary Law offered to help organize information if she were provided with a folder containing bad microchip numbers; she can input them. • DAS traces microchip numbers to owners or rescues to track the rightful owner. E • Sometimes vets can't find the microchip, which may have shifted, Q and don't look long enough. cm • DAS often can find the shifted microchip. M • if DAS closes intake, animals will end up on the streets. • DAS's website has a link for the "Lost & Found" form. o • Most animals that come in are strays and people aren't looking for them, and if DAS does find the owner, they're not interested in their r pet anymore. • DAS should consider reaching out to breed rescues, such as the Q Husky Rescue, because they step up right away. • DAS has a volunteer who reaches out to rescue groups, but often finds that even breed rescues are full or sometimes will only take a puppy, not a dog. • DAS's numbers are high, despite adoptions and foster placements, c because more pets come in than go out. • Broward County's shelter has a 72-hour hold, Charlotte County's takes essential cases only, and others decided to close intake services o because shelters are full. • Maddie's Fund transports pets to other shelters. DAS has a dedicated ° employee who transports, but the problem is finding a shelter or group to take the pet. • DAS intake forms ask if a cat gets along with a dog or whether a dog gets along with cats. • Owners provide information upon surrender. DAS can walk dogs E through the lobby to see if they're cat friendly, but they won't put a pets nose -to -nose to test. • Most potential adopters and E Po p pet owners want to know if a pet they E Packet Pg. 42 August 16. 2022 want to adopt is cat- or dog -friendly. N • DAS uses former board member Mary Baker as its trainer. N • Education on spaying and neutering is key to whittling down DAS's N population. • Reach out to Brownie, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops to give talks E about pets. a • Humane Society Naples often provides speakers at Collier schools. in • Reach out to social groups whose members have adopted DAS pets ' to see if they want to speak at schools about their experiences. • If people don't come to events, bring events to the community, such 0 m as farmers markets. o • ACOs don't participate in the adoption and owner vetting process. • PetSmart doesn't have many dogs brought in for adoption by groups, a but when they do, the dogs are adopted. • Chairman Rich offered to help with pet stores because he's in contact with them. 0 • Dr. March said he asked vets in the Collier County Veterinary Society to brainstorm solutions, but, so far, he only received one E response. a • Veterinary hospitals can sponsor two or three dogs and email clients N to see if they're interested in adopting them. N • Veterinary hospitals can sponsor a few kittens by putting them in an adoption cage in their lobbies. c • Dr. March said he'd bring up the problem to vets during a continuing 04 education meeting this month. Y • Some vets don't like to take kittens because it guilts staff into adopting them. 0 a • if vets help with adoptions, DAS could keep the paperwork, or transfer it to vets. a� • DAS currently has more than 500 pets, while HSN has more than � 200. • DAS posters can be placed in vets' offices and other public places; the Tails & Tidbits newsletter has a poster that can be used. • What about non -adoptable, hard -to -adopt, very sick or aggressive pets? Knox is DAS's longstanding dog; the Bulldog mix has been 0 there three years. Y • Volunteers are against euthanizing shelter pets; about 3% are 0 euthanized due to aggression. v, • DAS dogs with allergies are hard to place. Molly, who has been at DAS for two years, is allergic to everything and the volunteer who handles her is very particular about who she's placed with. • DAS could offer social support services for allergic and sick dogs. E • The more expensive DAS surgeries are funded by the DAS Trust Q Fund, which Collier County residents donate to. • DAS must spend its Trust Fund money responsibly. E b Packet Pg. 43 August 16. 2022 • Monet, a dog that chews through cages and breaks teeth, could be N treated with high doses of valium three times daily, rather than N undergoing dental surgery or putting her to sleep. Valium is about N $5lmonth and could save her life. • Vets often know owners who love certain breeds and vets can be E asked to help place dogs for adoption, rather than taking them to the Q shelter. ) • DAS's managed admissions tries to ask owners and friends if they'll ' adopt. Chairman Rich said if anyone has other ideas for workshops to please submit them to him or Marcy. These workshops are more productive than our meetings. IV. Public Comments Susie Mehas, of the Pet Pantry, said she was happy that Ms. Antonia is on the board. DAS's publicity is wonderful and she loves to see the Facebook posts. Please don't encourage people to be breeders if they have cats on their property. There are 400,000 people in the county and another 180,000 are here during season. Dividing 400,000 residents by 150, for just the dogs that are here, results in 2,666 potential homes, so don't give up hope. She hasn't wanted to come to DAS meetings in the past because she believed N bad things were happening and she believes people are still discouraged when N they see DAS on Facebook. Even in London, shelters are full due to housing cc problems. We need affordable housing here. Reach out to magazines, such as y Neapolitan magazine or Florida Weekly, to feature human interest stories on a, sports pets. People like stories with happy endings. The Naples Daily News a gives the Conservancy a half -page every week. Why not DAS? ' People who don't want their abandoned dogs should be placed on the Do - Not -Adopt list. Their dog got out, they broke the law and the dog is wandering around, Consider reaching out to groups for volunteers and for transport, such as ROMEOs, Retired Old Men Eating Out. Speak out at schools, such as Seacrest, where she spoke to the fifth grade and educated them. They were like sponges. Try asking the Girl Scouts for help. They earn badges for learning new skills. What about independent living communities? See if you could bring some pets to their lobbies. It's not impossible to find a home for a pet with special needs or allergies. What about sending photos of pets to vets? Secretary Law said vets are reluctant to give out their email addresses. Ms. Mehas told Marcy to keep up the good work_ Chairman Rich said at the next meeting, they will talk about formalizing regular meetings. We changed things and need to be more professional. He appreciates everyone being here. This is the first workshop attended by all Packet Pg. 44 August 16. 2022 board members. N 0 N V. Adjourn N Next meeting: 0 Sept. 20, 2022, 6 p.m. E d 0_ There being no further business for the good of the County, the in meeting was adjourned by the Chairman at 7:44 p.m. E L M0 W Collier County Domestic Animal i>-% 0 Services w j a d .lames Rich, Chairman Cn These minutes were approved by the Committee/Chairman ona�'O+Cm (check one) as presented , or as amended 04 LO M N 8 N N O N w N 7 3 Packet Pg. 45